The wonders of food

I never thought of Turkey as possessing one of the world's great cuisines. Countries like France, Italy, Thailand, Mexico evoke fantasies of rich and delicious food. Imagine our joy when we discovered Turkish cuisine.

Like many great cuisines Turkish food is an amalgamation of many influences. From the Asian steppe that is the original home of the Turkmen, it absorbed Greek, middle eastern, and even French and German elements. Combine this richness with fresh flavourful produce and a real passion for food and a great cuisine was born.


Another surprise was the pride Turks put into the preparation of their food. From the smallest Lokanta to the most expensive restaurant the food was almost uniformly high quality. After a few meals we understood why there weren't a lot of western fast food restaurants.

People have asked us what our favourite food was and we really couldn't answer. Every meal started with a plate of mezzes, appetizers like haidari (yogurt with mint or dill) patlijan (eggplant salad) and the Imam Fainted (stuffed roasted eggplant) followed by a main course kebap or shish and then dessert. Every meal was a wonderful experience.

Istanbul, City of Spires

Many places are beautiful or magical or 'special' but some just lodge themselves in the memory and grow, infiltrating your dreams and intruding on your waking life. Istanbul is one such place. The spires of is mosques seem to float on a cushion of history and myth, the crowded and bustling streets of he bazaar pulse with life. Istanbul has been many things to many people throughout its storied life, and whether you call it Byzantium, Constatinople, Stanboul or Istanbul, once you see it you will always be drawn back.

Istanbul has been a magnet for artists, writers and dreamers for centuries and it certainly cast its spell on us. We hope to return soon, but if we don't it will live in our dreams for ever.